Controlling means for vending machines



May 1, 1923.

' B. WILLIAMS CONTROLLING MEANS: FOR VENDING MACHINES Original Filed June 18 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 TIE]. 1

IN VEN TOR. 56/65 Mum/v6.

" TTORNEY.

May 1, 1923. 1,453,425

B. WILLIAMS CONTROLLING MEANS FOR VENDING MACHINES Original Filed June 18 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR.

58/65 W/LL MIN-5'.

Patented ay 1, 1923.

BRICE WILLIAMS, 0]? KOKOMO, INDIANA.

CONTROLLING MEANS FOR VENDING MACHINES.

Continuation of application Serial No. 478,628, filed June 18, 1921.

Serial No. 519,020.

T0 GUI/1107M if may concern Be it known that I. Bmcn humans, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kokomo, in the county of Howard and State of Indiana. have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Controlling Means for Vending Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to controlling means for vending machines, particularly to that class adapted for vending varying quantities of a vendable commodity, and the prime feature of the invention is the provision of 'a single element adapted to receive coins of varying diameters and values. and successively move them for releasing locking members from the single element. the diameter of each coin determining the direction of rotation of the element and the amount of the 'vendable commodity dispensed.

A further feature of the invention is the provision of a mechanism which will operate parts of the vending machine for delivering a single charge of the vendable articles or a multiple charge of the vendable articles at one operation depending upon the size and value of the coin used.

A further feature of the invention is the provision of means in co-operation with a single shaft for holding said shaft against rotation in either direction, 'or for causing said shaft to rotate in either direction depending upon the size and value of the coin used.

A further feature. of the invention is the provision of means for causing the coin receiving portion of the mechanism to assume a proper position after each operation for the reception of an additional coin.

And a further feature of the invention is in so constructing the coin controlled; parts that they will be held against improper operation incident to the change of size of coins used.

Other objects and advantages will be hereinafter more fully set forth and pointed out in the accompanying specification.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure l is an elevation of a vending machine,

This application filed November 30,

Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional view thereof, as seen on line 22 Figure 1,

Figure 3 is an enlarged elevation of the Figure 6 shows the position of the parts i of the locking mechanismwhen a smaller coin is used and an attempt is made to operate the mechanism in the wrong direction,

Figure 7 is a section through the coin chute,

Figure 8 is an elevation of a modified form of coin controlled means, and Figure 9 1s a similar view thereof as seen on line 99 Figure 8.

Referring to the drawings, in which simi- I designate correseveral lar reference numerals sponding parts throughout the I views, 1 indicates a vending machine comprising a base 2 and a receptacle 3 in which is placed the vendable articles which may consist of balls of gum, peanuts or similar. articles. A partition 4 is formed between the base 2 and receptacle 3, said partition having an enlarged opening 5 therethrough and registering with said opening are rotating disks 6 and 7, the disk 7 being within the disk 6, the latter disk being so constructed that with each operation-thereof a number of vendable articles will be dispensed at each operation, while the inner disk 7 is so arranged that it will dispense but a single article or quantity of the articles being vended. Both of the disks 6 and 7 are operated from a single shaft 8, said shaft'having gears 9 and 10 thereon which co-operate with gears lland 12 respectively, connected with the disks 6 and 7 respectively, certain'of said gears being so constructedthat when the shaft is rotated in one direction one of the disks will be rotated and' the other remain stationary, and

vice versa, when the shaft is rotated in the opposite, direction. These features, however, form no particular part of the present invention and are embodied and claimed in my co-pending application, Serial No. 478,628, filed June 18, 1921.

The prime feature of the present 111V Q11 tion is to provide means on the shaft for the reception of coins of different sizes and having latches co-operating therewith wh ch when there are nocoins in the controlling mechanism, will hold the shaft against rotation in either direction, and which will be operated for releasing the mechanism when turned in one or the other direction, depending upon the size of the coin inserted.

To this end a coin disk 13 is attached to the shaft 8 and is rotatable therewith, said disk having an operating handle through the medium of which the disk may be rotated in either direction. The disk 13 is held against rotation in either direction by means of locking latches 15 and 16, one arm of each latch having a downwardly curved end 17 and 18 respectively, for engagement with notches 19 in the peripheral edge of the disk 13, the lower face of each downwardly extending end being inclined so that when the disk is rotated in one direction the end of one of the locking latches will ride over one of the shoulders 20 at one end of the notch 19, while the pointed portion of the other downwardly extending end, unless elevated, will strike the shoulder at the end of the notch and hold the disk against further rotation. The opposite arms of the locking latches 15 and 16 have fingers 21 and 22 respectively attached thereto, the free ends of which are slightly upwardly curved so that a coin of proper size and denomination will pass under the fingers and elevate their respective locking latches causing them to pass over the shoulder at the end of the notch 19 and permit the disk 13 to rotate a sufiicient distance to properly operate one or the other of the dispensing disks. The locking latches 15 and 16 are pivoted to parts of the lions ing for the disk 13 at a point adjacent theouter ends of the locking latches, as shown at 23 and 24, and said locking latches are normally held in their lowered operative positions by means of a spring 25, the ends of which are connected with arms 26 and 27 attached respectively to the outer ends of the locking latches 15 and 16, and as said arms are on the opposite sides of the pivot pins 23 and 24 from the downwardly extending ends 17 and 18, said downwardly extending ends'willbe normally held in engagement with the edge of the disk 13. The

disk 13 is preferably provided with two notches 19 at points diametrically opposite each other so that the operation of either '--of the dispensing disks will be completed by giving one-half turn to the coindisk 13, but

essees it. will he understood that the gears asso ciated with the dispensing disks may be so arranged as to require a complete revolution" of the disk 13 to properly operate the dispensing disks, in which event but a single notch 19 will be necessary.

The inner face of the disk 13 is also provided with recesses 28 into which coins are deposited when the vending machine is to be operated, said recesses being in alignment with the notches 19, and are so positioned that the coin, when deposited in'the recesses, will be in the path of the fingers 21 and 22, consequently when the disk 13 is rotated, the coins will engage one or the other of said fingers and elevate the locking latch with which the finger engaged is associated.

In order to properly center the disk13 so that the coin receiving slots therein will always be in position to receive the coin,

clamping arms 29 are provided, one on each side of the shaft 8, the lower ends of which are pivoted to a part of the base 2, the shaft 8, on diametrically opposite sides, having flat faces 30, with which the upper portions of the clamping arms engage When the disk 13 is turned to a certain position, and when so engaged the coin notches will always be quently, should the disk 13 be moved slightly beyond 01' less than its normal point of ltlU travel the tension of the spring 31 will cause the arms 29 to bind against the flattened faces 30 and properly position the disk 13.

The device as shown is arranged to operate with either a one cent piece or a five cent piece, and when a five cent piece is deposited in one of the recesses 28, and the disk 13 turned to the left, the notch 19 being of sufiicien length to permit of a slight movement before the end of the locking latch engagesthe shoulder of the notch, the five cent piece will engage the finger 21 and elevate the locking latch 15 so that the depending end 17 will move out of the path of the shoulder 20, when the rotation of the disk may be continued until it has made a one-half revolution. lVhen the disk is so rotated, rotating motion will be imparted to the gears 9 and 11 and rotate the dispensing disk 6 a prescribed distance thereby discharging a quantity of the vendable commodity equal to the value of the coin used. As soon as the disk 13 has made a one-half revolution, the coin having been carried beyond the finger 21,

' the ends of the locking latches will again decontacted by the five cent piece when'an at- .tempt is made to revolve the disk to right, but this wall of the chute will be out of the path of a smaller coin, and consequently will not interfere with the rotation of the disk to the right when a smaller coin is used.

Should the customer desire a smaller quantity of the vendable commodity than is dispensed when a five cent piece is used, a coin of smaller denomination, or a one cent piece is entered in one of the recesses 19 and the disk 13 rotated to the right, which will result in elevating the locking latch 16 and moving the downwardly extending end 18 out of the path of the end wall of the notch, and, owing to the taper of the under face of the other downwardly extending end 17, it willride over the end wall 20. The turning of the disk to the right imparts rotating motion to the dispensing disk 7 through the medium of the gears 10 and 12. In the event the disk 13 is turned to the left when a smaller coin has beendeposited in the recess 28, the diameter of the smaller coin is such that it will not operate the locking latch 15 as the finger 21 is in a plane above the plane of the finger 22, consequently the downwardly extending end 17 will strike the end wall 20 of the notch 19 and prevent further rotation of the disk to the left.

In the event the coin of a smaller denomination or value is larger in diameter than the denomination of the coin of a higher value or denomination, the recesses 1n the disk 13 are arranged as shown m Figures 8 and 9, in which event the larger. size coin is entered in a recess 33 formed in the disk 15%, while the smaller size coin is to be deposited in a separate recess 34, the chute in this 1nstance having two separate coin passages 36 and 37, the former depositing the larger coin in the recess, while the latter deposits the smaller coin in the recess 34.

In this form of device, the finger 22 is moved inwardly out of alignment with the path of the larger coin and in position to be engaged by the smaller coin, but the operation of the various parts are, identical with the structure previously described.

It will thus be seen that I have provided a very simple and eflicient form of coin operated means which will control the'rotation of a single shaft in either direction and is of such a nature that it will require coins of different sizes to.determine the direction of rotation of the shaft for operating the different dispensing mechanisms.

Having thus fully described my said invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Lettters Patent, is:

1. In a coin controlling means for vending machines, the combination'with a shaft and a disk fixed to said shaft and having opposed notches in the periphery thereof, of a pair of locking latches having one of their ends co-operating with a single notch in unison, and means associated withthe locking latches 'for engagement withcoins when the disk is rotated for releasing one or the other other locking'latch whereby coins of diiterent sizes will be required to operate. the respective fingers.

3. In a controlling means for vending machines, a rotatably mounted disk having coin receiving spaces anda notch in registration with each space, a pair of pivotally mounted locking latches for simultaneously engaging a notch in the disk for holding the dlsk against rotation in either direction, fingers associated with said locking latches for engagement with coins carried by the disk and arranged for co-operation with coins of different sizes whereby when the disk is rotated in one direction one locking latch will be released from the notch when one size coin is used and the other locking latch released when a different size coin is used and the disk rotated in the opposite direction.

4. A controlling means for vending machines, comprising a single rotating disk having coin receiving spaces, a pair of look ing latches for engagement with said disk for holding the same against rotation in either direction, and a. coin engaging finger on each locking latch and in different planes whereby a coin of onediameter will release one of the locking latches. anda coin of a different diameter will release the other look i co-operating with the notch in the disk for normally holding the disk against rotation, a coin engaging arm associated with each locking latch and operable by contact with the coin when the disk is rotated, and yielding means for normally holding the locking latches in position to engage and enter the notch. I

6. In a coin controlled vending machine, the combination with a pair of dispensing disks, each dispensing a different quantity of a \endable commodity when rotated, of a single coin receiving disk for operating both of said dispensing disks, and means for determining the operation of the coin disk,

said means being controlled and operated by the coin deposited in the coin receiving disk,

the size of the coin determining the direction of travel of said coin disk and the operation of the different dispensing disks.

7. In a coin controlled vending machine,

the combination with a plurality of dispensing means each dispensing a diflerent quantity of commodity, each specified quantity being delivered at a single continuous movement of the dispensing means, of a single diskfor receiving coins of different sizes and rotatable in opposite directions, the direction of travel of said disk determining the operation of the different dispensing means, and means controlled by the size of the coin deposited in said disk for determining the direction of travel of said disk.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal at Indianapolis, Indiana, this da of November, A. D. nineteen hundred an twenty-one.

BRICE WILLIAMS. 

